ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Video Games: Young People

Keith Vaz: To ask the Attorney-General how many shops have been prosecuted for selling PEGI rated video games to underage customers since July 2012.

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify separately prosecutions for selling PEGI rated video games from other prosecutions under the Video Recordings Act 1984. Also, within the Court Proceedings Database, all businesses, public bodies and any other non person defendants are recorded under a single group "Other defendants". It is therefore not possible to identify separately prosecutions brought against shops or cinemas.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an estimate of how many employers in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England that hire apprentices have paid tuition fees for NVQ3 and above qualifications.

Matthew Hancock: This information is not available.

Business: Training

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average contribution was by (a) employers and (b) HEFCE to each student place created on the Workforce Development Programme in each year from 2008-09.

David Willetts: The following table shows the average contribution by employers and HEFCE to each full-time equivalent student place created under the Workforce Development Scheme in each of the years of its operation, for which data are available. HEFCE only collected data on employer contributions for four years of the scheme's operation.
	
		
			 Employer and HEFCE contributions to Workforce Development Scheme 
			  Average employer contribution by FTE student (£) Average funding per FTE student (£) 
			 2006-07 — 3,257 
			 2007-08 1,069 3,017 
			 2008-09 1,166 2,751 
			 2009-10 1,570 2,316 
			 2010-11 1,558 2,127 
			 2011-12 — 2,020 
			 2012-13 — 2,136 
			 2013-14 — 1,990

Conditions of Employment

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, columns 512-3W, on conditions of employment, when the findings of his Department's investigation of the use of zero-hours contracts will be reported to the House.

Jo Swinson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Streatham (Mr Umunna) on 6 September 2013, Official Report, column 535W.
	The summer review on zero hours was a fact-finding exercise officials undertook to understand and explore zero hours contracts. As this was not a call for evidence nor a consultation, stakeholders did not submit written evidence.
	As a result of that review, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills announced on 16 September that a consultation on zero hours contract will take place this year. The details are being finalised and it will be published in November and run for 12 weeks.

Conditions of Employment: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from the Scottish Government on zero-hours contracts; and if he will place any correspondence so received in the Library.

Jo Swinson: We have not received any representations to date from the Scottish Government on this issue.

Further Education: Student Numbers

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many English domiciled students were studying a (a) two, (b) three, (c) four year and (d) other undergraduate degree course at an English further education college in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many students were studying a (a) two, (b) three, (c) four year and (d) other undergraduate degree course at a UK further education college in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: Information on expected course lengths for students enrolled at English Further Education Colleges (FECs) is not available, however estimates of the number of English domiciled students studying full-time first degrees at Further Education Colleges (FEC) in England since 2006/07 have been provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and are included in the table.
	Information on Higher Education provision in Further Education elsewhere in the UK is available from the respective administrations.
	
		
			 English domiciled full-time undergraduate students1 at further education colleges, English further education colleges, academic years 2006/07 to 2011/12 
			  Level of Undergraduate (UG) study 
			 Academic year First degree All undergraduates2 
			 2006/07 18,045 52,920 
			 2007/08 17,585 53,640 
			 2008/09 16,610 56,020 
			 2009/10 18,315 62,505 
			 2010/11 19,530 62,345 
			 2011/12 20,955 63,365 
			 1 The number Full-Person Equivalent (FPE) students registered at Higher Education Institutions and taught at Further Education Colleges (franchised students), and students registered at Further Education Colleges. Students registered at FECs are only included if they are studying prescribed courses of Higher Education. 2 Includes Higher National Certificates (HNC), Higher National Diplomas (HND), Diplomas, First Degrees and other UG studies. Note: Figures have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: HEFCE estimates from the HESA student record and FE Data Service's Individualised Learner Record

Graduates: Debts

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the proportion of graduate debt which would be paid in full under current policy, if the debt per graduate was (a) £5,000, (b) £10,000, (c) £15,000, (d) £20,000, (e) £25,000, (f) £30,000, (g) £35,000 and (h) £40,000.

David Willetts: Estimates have been prepared using the Department's publicly available loan repayment model which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/simplified-student-loan-repayment-model
	Under the post-2012 loan system, the proportions of graduate debt which it is estimated will be repaid under the total debt amounts per student given in the question are (a) 88%, (b) 84%, (c) 81%, (d) 79%, (e) 76%, (f) 73%, (g) 70% and (h) 67%.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many English-domiciled students were studying a (a) two, (b) three, (c) four year and (d) other undergraduate degree course at an English university in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The number of English-domiciled full-time first degree enrolments in English universities by expected course length and academic year is shown in the following table.
	Information for the 2012-13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
	
		
			 English domiciled enrolments1 on full-time first degree courses by expected length of course2: English higher education institutions, academic year 2002-03 to 2011-12 
			 Academic year Two years3 Three years4 Four years5 Other6 Total 
			 2002-03 5,470 453,600 171,515 46,390 676,975 
			 2003-04 5,920 481,915 166,865 40,505 695,205 
			 2004-05 4,790 494,655 169,445 38,320 707,210 
			 2005-06 3,555 516,275 169,980 42,600 732,410 
			 2006-07 3,870 523,580 170,710 43,290 741,450 
			 2007-08 3,740 534,855 173,630 45,620 757,845 
			 2008-09 4,100 552,270 181,270 43,310 780,950 
			 2009-10 3,845 585,120 185,305 43,980 818,250 
			 2010-11 3,180 600,800 191,700 45,630 841,310 
			 2011-12 3,255 632,020 202,560 47,740 885,575 
			 1 Enrolments cover total students in all years of study. 2 Calculated as the time between expected end date and commencement date of instance, further details of how this is defined provided at the link: http://www.hesa.ac.uk/component/option,com_studrec/task,show_file/Itemid,233/mnl,11051/href,a%5E_%5ESPLENGTH.html/ 3 Course with expected length greater than one year but less than or equal to two years. 4 Course with expected length greater than two years but less than or equal to three years. 5 Course with expected length greater than three years but less than or equal to four years 6 Includes short courses with expected length of one year or less, longer courses of over four years and courses of unknown length. Note: Figures are derived using the HESA standard registration population.

Minimum Wage: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from the Scottish Government regarding the minimum wage; and if he will place any correspondence so received in the Library.

Jo Swinson: I have not received any representations from the Scottish Government regarding the minimum wage.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what interest accrued to the public purse from monies taken from retail investors that were unsuccessful in their applications for Royal Mail shares.

Michael Fallon: As stated in the prospectus, refund monies will be refunded without interest. Any interest accrued will come from these funds being held in a bank account on Government’s behalf.

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Jo Swinson: The information being sought by the hon. Member is being researched. We will place the information in the Libraries of the House as soon as possible.

CABINET OFFICE

Childbirth

Andrew George: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the age profile of women giving birth in England has been in each year since 2001.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking what the age profile of women giving birth in England has been in each year since 2001 [171839].
	ONS is responsible for publishing statistics on the numbers of births registered in England and Wales. Figures on the number of live births to mothers usually resident in England are published annually in Births by Area of Usual Residence of Mother available on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/births-by-area-of-usual-residence-of-mother--england-and-wales/index.html
	The following table provides the number of live births to mothers usually resident in England, by age of the mother for 2001-2012.
	
		
			 Live births to mothers usually resident in England, by age of mother, 2001-12 
			  Age of mother at birth 
			   Under 20 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40 and over 
			  All ages No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 
			 2001 563,744 41,010 7.3 102,312 18.1 151,462 26.9 170,588 30.3 82,804 14.7 15,568 2.8 
			 2002 565,709 40,496 7.2 104,302 18.4 145,470 25.7 172,238 30.4 86,621 15.3 16,582 2.9 
			 2003 589,851 41,283 7.0 109,605 18.6 148,773 25.2 178,539 30.3 93,340 15.8 18,311 3.1 
			 2004 607,184 41,974 6.9 113,778 18.7 151,693 25.0 181,811 29.9 98,031 16.1 19,897 3.3 
			 2005 613,028 41,723 6.8 114,882 18.7 155,897 25.4 179,541 29.3 99,663 16.3 21,322 3.5 
			 2006 635,748 42,418 6.7 120,221 18.9 163,909 25.8 180,733 28.4 105,701 16.6 22,766 3.6 
			 2007 655,357 41,778 6.4 122,968 18.8 173,229 26.4 182,613 27.9 110,424 16.8 24,345 3.7 
			 2008 672,809 41,600 6.2 127,762 19.0 183,003 27.2 183,919 27.3 111,140 16.5 25,385 3.8 
			 2009 671,058 40,359 6.0 127,800 19.0 184,006 27.4 183,336 27.3 109,607 16.3 25,950 3.9 
			 2010 687,007 37,844 5.5 129,003 18.8 188,812 27.5 193,600 28.2 111,128 16.2 26,620 3.9 
			 2011 688,120 34,025 4.9 126,842 18.4 190,244 27.6 197,987 28.8 110,791 16.1 28,231 4.1 
			 2012 694,241 31,566 4.5 124,531 17.9 192,183 27.7 206,788 29.8 110,325 15.9 28,848 4.2 
			 Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Source: Office for National Statistics

Conditions of Employment

Katy Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of workers in the rail industry who are employed on zero-hours contracts;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of workers in the shipping industry who are employed on zero-hours contracts.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking:
	(i) What recent estimate has been made of the number of workers in the rail industry who are employed on zero hours contracts. (171220); and
	(ii) What recent estimate has been made of the number of workers in the shipping industry who are employed on zero hours contracts. (171223)
	The requested information is not available. Information regarding people working on zero hours contracts is available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). However, full estimates of the total number of people in employment on such contracts are not available from this source. This is, in part, due to reporting error as respondents may fail to identify their type of employment contract correctly. This prevents reliable estimates being produced for individual industry sectors.

Dementia

Liz Kendall: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) Dementia Friends and (b) Dementia Champions have been recruited since the publication of the Prime Minister's Dementia Challenge in March 2012.

Nick Hurd: Dementia Friends Campaign was launched by the Prime Minister in March 2013. The Alzheimer's Society has responsibility for delivering the Campaign in England. In the first seven months of the campaign they have reported that 25, 200 Dementia Friends and 1,760 Dementia Champions have been recruited.

Government Departments: Billing

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department takes to ensure that Government Departments comply with Cabinet Office advice on payments to firms in construction supply chains in respect of small firms; whether his Department is aware of any large or main contractor withholding payment for periods longer than those set out in Cabinet Office advice; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: Central Government policy is to pay undisputed invoices within five days and to pass 30 day payment terms down the supply chain as a condition of contract. We have tasked Departments to manage their contracts to ensure prime contractors pay sub-contractors within 30 days.
	In construction, central Government has led the way in the use of Project Bank Accounts, and these are now becoming the norm. Using Project Bank Accounts, due payments tend to get from the Government client to Tier 3 of the supply chain within three or four days.
	We are encouraging SMEs to use the ‘Mystery Shopper’ service to report instances of late payment so we can investigate. To date we have had four such complaints, of which two resulted in payment being made and two related to payments that were disputed rather than late.

Life Insurance

Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK who have life insurance policies.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK who have life insurance policies. (171421)
	The Office for National Statistics does not produce estimates for the number of people who have life insurance policies. However, you may be interested in the 2013 Association of British Insurers Report, which includes an estimate for the proportion of UK households who had whole of life or fixed term life assurance:
	https://www.abi.org.uk/~/media/Files/Documents/Publications/Public/2013/industry%20data/UK%20Insurance%20Key%20Facts%202013.ashx
	(see paragraph 1 on page 11).

Trident

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the oral contribution by the Deputy Prime Minister of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 5, on the Trident Alternatives Review, if he will provide details of the cost of the Trident Alternatives Review to the public purse in terms of (a) cost and (b) officials' time.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 6W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bricks

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of UK-produced bricks to housing construction sites; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that there is no shortage of supply from British brick manufacturers.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Government are aware of industry reports assessing the current situation regarding the supply of UK-produced bricks to housing construction sites. The Construction Leadership Council will keep the position under review, but UK bricks must be price-competitive.

Housing: Construction

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications have been approved under the custom build investment fund in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) south Yorkshire and (c) England to date.

Kris Hopkins: The £30 million Custom Build Homes fund will run until 2015.
	So far, 14 schemes outside London worth £18.4 million are being taken forward (either under contract, in the contracting process or in the due diligence process). This includes a bid at Gawber in Barnsley,
	In London, the scheme is administered by the Greater London Authority which holds the information on the take-up.

Parking

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department gives local authorities on the provision of parking for (a) district nurses, (b) midwives and (c) other visiting health professionals.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has issued no specific policy or guidance on the provision of parking for district nurses, midwives and other visiting health professionals.
	The Government recognise the importance of good affordable parking and is committed to putting an end to excessive parking charges and unfair parking fines which push up the cost of living and local economy. We have already taken action to increase the number of parking spaces and withdrawn guidance that encourages councils to set parking fees to discourage the use of cars.
	Councils have a key role in promoting local economic growth and local jobs and we are currently looking at what more can be done to reform parking rules to help with the cost of living and support local shops.
	More information can be found in my Department's press notice of 27 September 2013 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-parking-reform-proposals-to-support-local-shops-and-high-streets

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many businesses in the (a) Metropolitan Borough of Tameside and (b) Metropolitan Borough of Stockport she expects to receive investment to improve broadband speeds.

Helen Grant: The Government's Broadband programme is delivering a transformation in broadband with over 10,000 new homes and businesses getting superfast broadband availability every week.
	Ofcom's Infrastructure Report update in 2012 stated that superfast broadband availability was 96.2% in the Manchester conurbation, compared with 65% for the UK as a whole at that time. Ofcom is likely to update its local estimates for counties and unitary authorities in the near future. The trend is for an increase in coverage over time and therefore when next reported these figures are likely to be higher than reported in 2012. Take up figures for businesses in Metropolitan boroughs of Tameside and Stockport are not currently available as a tender for broadband is under way.
	The Government allocated £10.83 million to support roll-out of broadband in Lancashire. The project is in delivery and is aiming to complete by 2015.

Leisure

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) sports clubs and (b) community centres are in receipt of Government funding in (i) Ribble Valley, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the UK.

Helen Grant: As part of the £1 billion Youth and Community Strategy, Sport England has provided funding to the following community sports clubs:
	
		
			  Number 
			 i. Ribble Valley 2 
			 ii. Lancashire 14 
			 iii. England 749 
		
	
	As sport is a devolved matter, community funding in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the relevant Sports Council.

DEFENCE

Disclosure of Information

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the files currently held at Swadlincote that are subject to the Public Records Act 1958 have been (a) assessed and (b) released to the National Archives.

Mark Francois: All Ministry of Defence (MOD) records held at Swadlincote that are subject to the Public Records Acts have been assessed for ongoing business or potential historical value. More than one third of the files at Swadlincote have been selected for transfer to The National Archives. These are largely military service records, which The National Archives has identified as being required for permanent preservation. Around 50,000 inter-war RAF service records held at Swadlincote, which are due to be transferred, are currently being digitised and are in the process of being accepted by The National Archives.

Public Expenditure

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how his Department plans to use the £1.8 billion underspend in its 2012-13 budget.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 17 October 2013
	The funding carried forward from financial years 2012-13 to 2013-14 and 2014-15 will be used to fund a range of military capabilities, including bringing Urgent Operational Requirements from Afghanistan into the core programme, Future Force 2020 priorities such as bringing Crowsnest into service earlier than previously planned, and the significant investment we are making in cyber.

Public Expenditure

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for which categories of expenditure the £1.8 billion underspend in his Department's 2012-13 budget had originally been allocated.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 17 October 2013
	The breakdown of the Department's underspend in financial year 2012-13 is available in the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts for that year, which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-annual-report-and-accounts-201213
	This was published in July 2013.

Public Expenditure

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in HM Treasury regarding the £1.8 billion underspend in its 2012-13 budget.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 17 October 2013
	Ministry of Defence (MOD) Ministers and officials have frequent and regular contact with counterparts in HM Treasury on a wide range of topics, including the Department's in-year financial position. In June 2013, MOD announced that in recognition of improved financial discipline in MOD, HM Treasury had agreed the flexibility to allow us to carry forward £1.8 billion of unused funding from the financial year 2012-13 into 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to Baroness Stern of 12 March 2013, Official Report, HL column WA47, on armed forces: unmanned aerial vehicles, in which fora the Developments, Concepts and Doctrine Centre have engaged in the ethics of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations; and whether any subsequent legal reviews of UAS have been undertaken by his Department. [R]

Mark Francois: The Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) staff have participated in the following fora at which the ethics of UAS usage were discussed:
	Discussions with Professor Sir Mike Aaronson, Director of the Centre for International Intervention, Surrey University et al at the DCDC.
	Westminster Conference: ‘Use of Force, Drones and Jus Cogens Norms in International Law’ at Westminster Cathedral.
	Discussion with and input to the work of the Joint Public Issues Team paper ‘Drones: Ethical Dilemmas in the Application of Military Force’.
	Participation at a European Universities Institute seminar in Florence on Autonomous Systems, although the seminar also substantially referenced the ethics of UAS operations.
	Participation at the Defence Security and Equipment International UAV symposium (an event organised by Clarion). Participation included the panel session on the ethics of UAV use. DCDC Air Commodore presented at the symposium.
	Participation in two Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conferences which featured a small amount of discussion about ethics.
	A NATO Multi-National Capability Development Campaign workshop on autonomous systems at which legal and ethical issues were discussed.
	Legal reviews of UK use of armed UAS (Reaper and Predator) have been conducted by DCDC Legal Branch in accordance with Article 36 (Additional Protocol 1) with use being deemed permissible subject to the existing Laws of Armed Conflict. The detailed reports are considered as being subject to Legal Professional Privilege and are not releasable. These reviews were not conducted as a consequence of discussions on UAS ethics elsewhere but as part of our routine compliance with international law.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Written Questions: Government Responses

Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he intends to answer question number 168911 tabled on 9 September 2013 on the Local Growth Committee.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 October 2013, Official Report, column 744W.

EDUCATION

Education Maintenance Allowance

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the answer of 18 March 2013, Official Report, columns 444-5W on educational maintenance allowance, if he will publish the interim report referred to in that answer.

Elizabeth Truss: The interim report, which presents findings of the first year of the independent evaluation of the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, was published on 16 May1.
	1 Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-16-to-19-bursary-fund-year-1-report

National College for Teaching and Leadership

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many members of the senior leadershp team have left the former National College for School Leadership since it became an exclusive agency of his Department in April 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: 14 senior civil servants, who were members of the senior management team of the National College for School Leadership, left the former National College for School Leadership between 1 April 2012 and 17 October 2013.

National College for Teaching and Leadership

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what process was followed in the appointment of the Chief Executive of the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

Elizabeth Truss: As Chief Executive of the Teaching Agency, Charlie Taylor was appointed to lead the new body when the Agency was merged with the National College for School Leadership on 2 April 2013 as an expansion of his existing duties. The former Chief Executive of the National College for School Leadership had left his post in October 2012 and was not replaced.

National College for Teaching and Leadership

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many members of the senior leadership team of the National College for Teaching and Leadership were previously members of the senior leadership team of the National College for School Leadership.

Elizabeth Truss: Three members of the senior leadership team of the National College for Teaching and Leadership were previously members of the senior leadership team of the National College for School Leadership.

National College for Teaching and Leadership

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people attended the annual conference of the National College for Teaching and Leadership and its predecessor, the National College for School Leadership in each year since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The conference was attended by 1,750 delegates in 2010, over 1,650 delegates in 2011 and over 1,610 delegates in each of 2012 and 2013.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Electric Cables: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what plans his Department has for the (a) route and (b) method of a North-South Interconnector in Wales;
	(2)  what plans his Department has for a North-South Interconnector in Wales;
	(3)  what the projected cost of a North-South Interconnector in Wales is.

Michael Fallon: The planning and development of the transmission network in England and Wales is a matter for National Grid. Details on its major projects are contained in the Transmission Owner Major Projects Update which is updated on a quarterly basis:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policy-advisory-groups/electricity-networks-strategy-group
	Further detail on these and other projects is available from National Grid's annual Electricity Ten Year Statement:
	www.nationalgrid.com/NR/rdonlyres/DF56DC3B-13D7-4B19-9DFB-6E1B971C43F6/57770/10761_NG_Electricity_Ten_YearStatement_LR.pdf

Electric Cables: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with (a) Ofgem and (b) the National Grid on a North-South Interconnector in Wales.

Michael Fallon: The Department receives regular updates from all three Transmission Owners on their major projects through the DECC/Ofgem chaired Electricity Networks Strategy Group. I have regular discussions with Ofgem and National Grid across a range of energy matters, but this project has not been discussed.

Electric Cables: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on a North-South Interconnector in Wales.

Michael Fallon: I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government across a range of energy matters, but have not received any representations from the Welsh Government about this project.

Energy: Billing

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average rise in energy bills has been for households in (a) Merseyside and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: The following tables show the trend in average household energy bills since 2007, split by method of payment, for (a) Merseyside and (b) England and Wales.
	
		
			 Merseyside 
			  Average household energy bill (£) Year on year change (%) 
			  Standard credit Direct debit Prepayment Standard credit Direct debit Prepayment 
			 2007 929 845 985 — — — 
			 2008 1,089 1,003 1,130 17 19 15 
			 2009 1,179 1,078 1,203 8 8 6 
			 2010 1,143 1,051 1,126 -3 -3 -6 
			 2011 1,249 1,147 1,235 9 9 10 
			 2012 1,365 1,248 1,343 9 9 9 
		
	
	
		
			 England and Wales 
			  Average household energy bill (£) Year on year change (%) 
			  Standard credit Direct debit Prepayment Standard credit Direct debit Prepayment 
			 2007 913 833 966 — — — 
			 2008 1,058 981 1,102 16 18 14 
			 2009 1,151 1,059 1,191 9 8 8 
			 2010 1,113 1,035 1,124 -3 -2 -6 
			 2011 1,218 1,130 1,219 9 9 8 
			 2012 1,336 1,232 1,327 10 9 9 
		
	
	These energy bills assume an annual electricity consumption of 3,300 kWh for electricity and 18,000 kWh for gas, and are in cash terms.
	The data are taken from DECC's statistical publication, Quarterly Energy Prices. Average bills are published at Public Electricity Supply region and at national level, but England and Wales are combined.

Energy: Scotland

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last met representatives of the six largest energy providers in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: Details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations are published quarterly on the Departmental website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/ministers-meeting-with-external-organisations

Energy: Weather

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the size of the potential margin between generating capacity and electricity demand if there is a blocking high pressure weather system with little wind and freezing temperatures in the period December 2013 to January 2014.

Michael Fallon: National Grid, in their Winter Outlook 2013-14 report, have stated:
	“Our peak weather corrected electricity demand forecast for this winter is 54.8 GW; this is our demand forecast should the weather be the same as long term average weather conditions. In any winter, however, there are milder spells and colder spells which drive fluctuations in demand around the weather corrected demand forecast. We forecast the peak Average Cold Spell (ACS) electricity demand to be 56.3 GW this winter.”
	“For this winter, taking the latest data into account, our central forecast of electricity margin against peak (ACS) demand is 5%, broadly in line with the level published in Ofgem's Capacity Adequacy analysis in June. If, however, we have average weather throughout the winter, our central forecast of margin is 8%.”

Fracking

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that shale gas extraction sites will not adversely affect individuals' ability to secure a mortgage on nearby property.

Michael Fallon: There is no reason to expect that any activities undertaken to extract shale gas will have any adverse effect on individuals' ability to secure a mortgage on properties nearby. There has been no evidence of any such effect in the UK to date in over half a century of oil and gas exploration and production. Extraction will be subject to the same robust safety and environmental regime, supplemented by new controls against seismic risks. The impacts of shale gas extraction on local areas will of course be fully considered through the planning process before any such project can proceed.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what weight his Department gave to the National Grid's Call for Evidence 2012 and his Department's Electricity Generation Costs Report 2013 in setting the draft offshore wind strike price; and if he will publish in full his Department's analysis of factors underlying that decision.

Michael Fallon: As detailed in ‘Annex B: Strike Price methodology’1 of the ‘Consultation on the draft Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan’ there are a range of factors to consider in setting a strike price. These include:
	technology specific factors such as capital and operating costs, financing costs and any build constraints;
	market conditions such as wholesale prices and the discount which generators face when signing a power purchase agreement (PPA); and
	policy considerations such as the specific contract design, choices about technology mix and meeting the ambition for renewable electricity.
	The methodology for setting strike prices is designed to provide an equivalent level of support to that received under the renewables obligation for the period when developers can choose between the renewable obligation and contracts for difference. After this period, strike prices are set to reflect both expectations of falling technology costs over time and the financial constraints imposed by the levy control framework.
	The data used for technology specific factors the draft Delivery Plan Consultation including capital and operating costs and financing costs is detailed in Annex 3 of DECC's electricity generation costs 20132 report. Page 7-9 of this report details the data used for all technologies. For offshore wind this draws from the Government response to the banding review (GRBR). When modelling future cost reductions for offshore wind evidence from the Crown Estate Study (the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Pathways Study) and the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Task Force report was also included. This is explained in more detail in annex 2 of DECC's electricity generation costs 2013.
	DECC is currently considering responses and evidence received as part of the draft delivery plan consultation and this evidence may be used to inform final decisions on strike prices.
	1Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223652/emr_consultation_annex_b.pdf
	2Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223940/DECC_Electricity_Generation_Costs_for_publication_-_24_07_13.pdf

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis was for his Department's setting of the draft strike prices; and if he will publish in full the modelling his Department used for setting those prices.

Michael Fallon: The evidence base included several detailed reports on technology costs by specialist consultancies, evidence submitted by industry on their costs from several calls for evidence, and modelling by National Grid using an investment and dispatch model of the GB electricity system.
	The Government have also appointed an independent Panel of Technical Experts which provides independent scrutiny of National Grid's analysis. All the evidence and the modelling, including the panel's report on the draft delivery plan, is published on the Government website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-draft-electricity-market-reform-delivery

Winter Fuel Payments

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of people eligible for winter fuel payments in each region of the UK.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The information requested is not available.
	Over 95% of winter fuel payments are made automatically, without the need to claim, based on information held in DWP records. The remaining 5%, primarily men who have reached women's state pension age and who are not getting a DWP-administered benefit, need to make a claim if they want to get a winter fuel payment. It is not possible to give the exact number of eligible people, but we have no reason to estimate that eligibility is materially different from the number of payments made.
	Information on the number of winter fuel payments paid is in the document ‘Winter Fuel Payment recipients 2012-13 by Parliamentary Constituencies and Gender (All)’. We expect a similar number of payments to be made in future years. This information is available on the internet at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/winter-fuel-payments-caseload-and-household-figures

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish (a) a risk assessment of, (b) all advice from officials on and (c) advice from the chief scientist and the chief veterinary officer on extending the length of the badger cull.

George Eustice: Copies of the following documents have been placed in the Library of the House:
	advice from the chief veterinary officer (CVO) to the Secretary of State on the case for extending the culls in both Somerset and Gloucester;
	a letter from a DEFRA official to Natural England summarising DEFRA’s position on extending the culls; and
	advice from DEFRA's chief scientific adviser to the Secretary of State on the estimated population of badgers within the pilot cull areas
	The CVO advice contains an assessment of the disease control benefits and risks of an extension. Assessment of the operational risks of badger control activities continues to be the responsibility of the licensees.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the prevalence of illegal dog breeding in England; and if he will review current breeding laws.

George Eustice: We have made no assessment of the level of undetected illegal dog breeding. Anyone who carries on a business of breeding dogs should have a licence, irrespective of the number of litters they produce in a year. We plan to write to local authorities to clarify the existing legal provisions relating to dog breeding.

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on advertising with (a) The Guardian newspaper, (b) The Guardian website and (c) The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Dan Rogerson: Core DEFRA has not incurred any direct spend on advertising with The Guardian newspaper, The Guardian website or The Guardian Media Group in the years specified.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Council

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review the arrangements governing the British Council's ability to compete for private-sector education contracts to ensure that British private-sector education providers abroad are able to compete on a level playing field.

Hugo Swire: I announced on 16 July 2013, Official Report, column 81Ws, that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is conducting a Triennial Review of the British Council. The outcome of the Review is due to be published in early 2014.
	Competition questions relating to British Council income generating activity form part of the Review. The Review Team has spoken to a wide range of interested parties in the UK and overseas, including other British education providers. A month-long online public consultation received several hundred responses, some from private sector companies.

Colombia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with President Santos of Colombia on the potential effect of a free trade agreement between Colombia and the EU on poverty and inequality levels in that country.

Hugo Swire: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not discussed with President Santos the potential effect of a Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the EU on poverty and inequality levels in that country. However, we firmly believe that trade agreements are important for economic growth, prosperity and political stability in developing countries, and contribute significantly to overall development, creating an environment where human rights are more likely to be respected.

Common Customs Tariffs

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts to ensure that EU tariffs better reflect disparities in environmental regulations from non-EU countries.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	BIS Ministers have not been involved in discussions with their EU counterparts about EU tariffs and disparities in environmental regulations with non-EU countries.

Kieron Bryan

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which officials in his Department have visited Kieron Bryan during his detention; and when and for how long each such visit was.

David Lidington: British consular officials visited Kieron Bryan on 24. September and again on 3, 9 and 11 October. During each visit, which varied in length, they were able to discuss welfare issues with Mr Bryan and follow up on these with the relevant Russian authorities, as well as pass messages to and from family members. Consular officials intend to visit Mr Bryan again later this week.

Morocco

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Morocco on behalf of British investors in the Paradise Golf and Beach Resort project near Asilah.

Hugh Robertson: We are aware of this case. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is unable to intervene directly or provide legal advice in private matters such as these. We have corresponded directly with some of the individuals involved in response to their letters. The ambassador in Morocco has raised this issue with senior members of the Moroccan Government, encouraging them to do all they can to find a satisfactory resolution. We will continue to raise this with the Moroccan Government at appropriate opportunities.

Sri Lanka

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Sri Lankan counterpart regarding access to counselling for people suffering from trauma following the civil war in that country.

Hugo Swire: Our officials have raised this issue with the Sri Lankan authorities, and discussed provision for counselling for those suffering from trauma with local non-governmental organisations in Sri Lanka. Despite our representations, we are yet to see the Sri Lankan authorities make progress in this area.

Sri Lanka

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Sri Lanka regarding the scope and remit of the Commission of Inquiry into Disappearances.

Hugo Swire: Our high commissioner in Colombo has discussed this with the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Foreign Minister and Special Envoy on Human Rights, underlining the need for an independent and thorough investigation. The UK also contributed to the EU delegation to Sri Lanka statement of 30 August calling for the Commission to conduct its investigations in a credible and transparent manner consistent with international standards and we shall raise this at the forthcoming CHOGM.

Sri Lanka

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of religious freedom in Sri Lanka; and what discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan Government regarding protection for religious minorities in that country.

Hugo Swire: Our concerns about religious freedom in Sri Lanka surrounding religious freedom in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights and Democracy Report for 2012 and it's subsequent quarterly updates.
	Attacks on minority religious sites and continued campaigns against Christians and Muslim remain a serious concern.
	Our high commissioner to Colombo has raised these matters with members of the Government of Sri Lanka. We have urged the Sri Lankan Government to take early action to promote peaceful co-existence between all communities, noting the importance of ensuring any acts of violence, intimidation or threats are thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to justice and we shall raise these issues at the forthcoming CHOGM.
	The European Union Delegation, in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission in Sri Lanka, also issued a statement on 13 August calling for
	"the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of worship to be protected by the Sri Lankan government, and for the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure justice through speedy, impartial trials and enable all Sri Lankans to exercise their human rights freely."

Sri Lanka

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka following her visit to Sri Lanka in August 2013; and with which other Commonwealth Governments he has discussed that report.

Hugo Swire: We welcomed the oral update of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), Navi Pillay, to the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council following her visit to Sri Lanka in August, and share many of her concerns. We look forward with interest to the submission of the full written report during the March 2014 session of the UN Human Rights Council.
	We regularly raise the issues broached by Navi Pillay with other Commonwealth states.

Sri Lanka

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission he plans to discuss with the Sri Lankan Government during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in November 2013.

Hugo Swire: We continue to urge the Sri Lankan Government to fully implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission's (LLRC) report. Although progress has been made in some areas, such as demining, the resettlement of internally displaced people and infrastructure development, much more work is needed to deliver reconciliation in Sri Lanka. The British delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will see the situation on the ground in Sri Lanka and deliver a clear message that Sri Lanka needs to make concrete progress on reconciliation, accountability and human rights.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services: North West

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of the effect on ambulance response times of the decision by the North West Ambulance Service to close fleet care workshops in Cheshire and Merseyside; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the effect on patient care of the decision by the North West Ambulance Service to close fleet care workshops in Cheshire and Merseyside; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

Daniel Poulter: This is a matter for the local national health service. The hon. Member may wish to approach the chief executive of Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group if she has concerns about the impact the proposed changes may have on ambulance response times and patient care.

Cancer

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications NICE has recommended for cancer treatment through either single or multiple technology appraisals in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012 and (iii) 2013;
	(2)  if he will publish the final calculated cost per quality adjusted life year of each (a) pharmacological treatment and (b) associated indications which NICE (i) has and (ii) has not recommended for cancer treatments; and which such treatments and indications have been recommended for cancer treatment under the end of life criteria in (A) 2011, (B) 2012 and (C) 2013;
	(3)  what the determined population size is for each pharmacological treatment and associated indications which NICE has recommended for cancer treatment in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013;
	(4)  what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications NICE has recommended for cancer treatment under the end of life criteria in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012 and (iii) 2013;
	(5)  what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications NICE has not recommended for cancer treatment in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012 and (iii) 2013.

Daniel Poulter: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that between January 2011 and September 2013, 40 recommendations were made to the national health service relating to cancer technologies. Of these decisions, 22 did not recommend the technology as a cost-effective use of NHS resources. Two appraisals were terminated in the absence of an evidence submission from the manufacturer (terminated appraisal). The remaining 16 decisions either recommended the use of the technology in line with its marketing authorisation or routine clinical practice (‘yes’ recommendation), or under specific circumstances (‘optimised’ recommendation).
	Details of all NICE recommendations for cancer treatments between January 2011 and September 2013 and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio have been placed in the Library.

Cancer: Drugs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the Cancer Drugs Fund on patients in (a) the Eastern Region and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Information on patients funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund is not collected by region.
	Information on the number of patients who have had cancer drugs funded by East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for the period October 2010 to end March 2013 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 East of England SHA 
			  Number 
			 Number of patients funded in 2010-11 246 
			 Number of patients funded in 2011-12 1,486 
			 Number of patients funded in 2012-13 1,683 
			 Total number of patients funded since October 20101 3,415 
			 1 Some individual patients may be double-counted where a patient has received more than one drug treatment through the Cancer Drugs Fund. Source: Information provided to the Department by SHAs. 
		
	
	Information on the number of patients in England who have had treatment funded to end March 2013 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 England 
			  Number 
			 Number of patients funded in 2010-11 2,780 
			 Number of patients funded in 2011-12 11,798 
			 Number of patients funded in 2012-13 15,456 
			 Total number of patients funded since October 20101 30,034 
			 1 Some individual patients may be double-counted where a patient has received more than one drug treatment through the Cancer Drugs Fund. Source: Information provided to the Department by SHAs. 
		
	
	NHS England took responsibility for the fund from April 2013 and is collecting data on the use of the fund from four regional teams. We are advised that between 1 April and end of June 2013, 1,253 patients in the Midlands and East area were funded.

Diabetes

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to provide guidance to GPs on tendering test strips to (a) Type 1 and (b) Type 2 diabetes.

Jane Ellison: Responsibility for diabetes sits with NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).
	Strips to test blood sugar levels are available for people with diabetes as part of routine national health service care. The clinical indications for the use of such strips are outlined in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, available to all clinicians working in the NHS.
	NHS England is aware that for a minority of people with diabetes, access to test strips has been limited when in fact access is clinically indicated.
	The National Clinical Director (NCD) for Diabetes, Professor Jonathan Valabhji, has liaised at NHS England with the Domain Directors for both Long Term Conditions and Patient Safety, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer and the Pharmacy and Medicines Professional Leadership Group. Discussions have reflected the fact that this is more of a problem within some CCGs than others, and therefore the NCD has undertaken as a first step to look at the data on prescribing variance of test strips, to those with diabetes across England so that ultimately the specific CCGs where this is a problem can be approached.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will publish its response to the sustaining services, ensuring fairness consultation landed in July 2013.

Jane Ellison: The Department intends to publish its response to ‘Sustaining services, ensuring fairness: A consultation on migrant access and their financial contribution to NHS provision in England’ around the end of October.

Health Services: Greater London

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the original cost estimates were for the proposals of the Trust Special Administrator for the reconfiguration of services in south east London; what his Department's current estimate is of the costs of reconfiguration to 2018; and from which budgets any difference between these two figures will be met.

Daniel Poulter: The costs related to the dissolution of South London Healthcare NHS Trust and its acquisition by other national health service organisations is £466 million. The Trust Special Administrator's estimate of these costs set out in his final report of 7 January 2013 was £267 million, with the difference being £199 million.
	The revenue costs will be funded from NHS England and clinical commissioning groups. The cash and capital costs will be funded by the Department.
	Commissioning and reconfiguration of services in the south-east London health economy under the Trust Special Administrator's recommendation 5, relating to University Hospital Lewisham, is on hold due to the ongoing legal process. Until a final decision is reached, assumed resources and efficiencies remain consistent with the Trust Special Administrator's report.

Health Visitors

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will commission an investigation into local variations in the maximum number of cases to be handled by health visitors so as to ensure good practice;
	(2)  if he will commission a review of local guidelines on the appropriate caseload for health visitors to gain insight into which local authorities are overloaded.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not plan to commission an investigation into local variations in the maximum number of cases handled by health visitors, nor does it plan to review local guidelines on the appropriate caseload for health visitors.
	The Government's commitment to grow the health visitor work force by an additional 4,200 full-time equivalents by April 2015 will ensure the availability of more staff, thereby allowing local services further flexibility in how they respond to demand. Both the Department and NHS England closely monitor work force growth to ensure the numbers of health visitors are increasing in line with agreed trajectories.
	As part of the public health work force, health visiting services should be locally deployed, so as to meet the needs of the local population. This means that the ratio of health visitors to the local population will depend on the locality, its health and social needs, its level of deprivation and other variables.
	Current arrangements allow local service providing organisations to determine the number of cases handled in the context of the needs of families. This approach is best suited to facilitating safe and efficient services, because its inherent flexibility allows local organisations to allocate higher, caseloads to health visitors of families with relatively low levels of need, whilst allowing lower case load allocation to health visitors of families with more intensive (higher) levels of need.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission a review of the criteria under which patients who have ankylosing spondylitis but no de-generation of the sacroiliac joint may receive anti-TNF treatment in England.

Daniel Poulter: Adalimumab, etanercept; infliximab and golimumab are all tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibitors.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance on the use of adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab in 2008 and on the use of golimumab in 2011 within their licensed indications for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis.
	NICE recommends' adalimumab, etanercept and golimumab for patients meeting specified clinical criteria but does not recommend infliximab.
	NICE is currently updating its existing guidance, which will be extended to include patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis where such use is permitted by the market authorisations, and currently expects to publish final updated guidance in 2015.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to answer Parliamentary Question 170833, tabled on 10 October 2013.

Daniel Poulter: The hon. Member's question was answered on 16 October 2013, Official Report, column 766W. In line with the guidance set out in the Guide to Parliamentary Work published by the Office of the Leader of the House in 2009, the question was answered within five sitting days.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Tobacco

Rehman Chishti: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much snuff was administered to hon. Members by the doorkeepers in the last 10 years; and at what cost.

John Thurso: A snuff box is located in the Principal Doorkeeper's chair. It is unusual for Members to request snuff, and there are no regular users of this facility. No records of usage or cost are maintained. Recent practice has been for this tradition to be maintained at the Principal Doorkeeper’s personal expense.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department measures the effectiveness of UK Official Development Assistance for health in Burma.

Alan Duncan: All DFID projects are formally reviewed each year and on completion. Our funding for 3MDG, the main multi-donor trust fund for health in Burma, includes an independent evaluation of effectiveness UK development programmes are also independently scrutinised by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI). ICAI recently gave DFID's health programmes in Burma an overall green (positive) rating.

JUSTICE

Cinemas: Prosecutions

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cinemas have been prosecuted for allowing underage customers to view BBFC classified films since July 2012.

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify separately prosecutions for selling PEGi rated video games from other prosecutions under the Video Recordings Act 1984. Also, within the Court Proceedings Database, all businesses, public bodies and any other non person defendants are recorded under a single group "Other defendants". It is therefore not possible to identify separately prosecutions brought against shops or cinemas.

Council Tax: Non-payment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were (a) fined and (b) jailed for non-payment of council tax in each of the last five years.

Shailesh Vara: Where a person fails to pay the council tax after it has been demanded, the local authority may apply to the magistrates court for a liability order. Liability orders granted are for the amount owed plus reasonable costs. If they are still not paid the local authority can apply for a warrant committing an individual to prison. People cannot be fined for non-payment of council tax. Magistrates courts have been using Libra, the centralised case management system since early 2009 so data are only available from 2009-10 and data for the four years 2009-10 to 2012-13 are presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Individuals imprisoned for non-payment of council tax 2009-10 to 2012-13 
			  Number 
			 2009-10 121 
			 2010-11 112 
			 2011-12 117 
			 2012-13 98 
		
	
	The fall in volumes from 2011-12 to 2012-13 is consistent with the fall in overall civil proceedings in magistrates courts over the same period.
	Notes:
	1. The date is based on case completion date.
	2. The report looks only at ‘Complaint for Council Tax Committal Application' and 'Complaint for Council Tax Liability’.
	3. The Total Imprisoned includes Committal to prison, Detention until court rises, Imprisonment and Imprisonment in default.
	4. After the warrant is issued the defendant can pay the warrant in full or part payment in lieu of custody.

Courts: Young People

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the courts have lifted section 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 to enable reporting on (a) criminal proceedings and (b) proceedings relating to antisocial behaviour orders in which children or young persons under the age of 18 years are concerned in the last year.

Shailesh Vara: Information is not held centrally on how many occasions the courts have lifted reporting restrictions in criminal proceedings or imposed reporting restrictions in respect of civil proceedings relating to antisocial behaviour orders.
	In criminal proceedings involving children, courts can lift reporting restrictions in some circumstances where this would be in the interests of justice, it would help to catch a serious offender, or it is a serious crime. Striking a balance between the rights of the public and the rights of a young defendant is decided on a case-by-case basis by the judiciary.
	In respect of civil proceedings where an anti-social behaviour order is contemplated, the courts may impose reporting restrictions. Making the public aware of the perpetrator and the terms of the order can be an important part of the process in tackling antisocial behaviour. But courts must balance this against the consideration of the impact on the young person and whether it is likely to affect a young person's behaviour, with each case decided on its own facts.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff were suspended from his Department and its associated public bodies on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what costs were incurred as a result of such suspensions.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the staff of the Ministry of Justice (including MOJ HQ, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, National Offender Management Service, Office of the Public Guardian and its associated public bodies) who were suspended on full pay in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 is set out in the following table. The information on the staff of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is recorded on a separate database from the remainder of the Ministry and is therefore shown separately.
	
		
			  MOJ (excluding NOMS) NOMS 
			  Staff suspended on full pay Salary cost of suspension (£) Staff suspended on full pay Salary cost of suspension (£) 
			 2010-11 — — 230 2,134,736 
			 2011-12 44 306,559 270 2,269,184 
			 2012-13 59 188,904 248 1,418,916 
		
	
	A full set of data on suspensions for the MOJ (excluding NOMS) for 2010-11 is not centrally available.
	This information is also not centrally available for the Ministry's executive non-departmental public bodies. To obtain this information would require each executive non-departmental public body to retrieve and collate the information and would incur disproportionate costs to obtain.

Employment: Arbitration

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many unpaid employment tribunal awards and ACAS settlements were passed to High Court enforcement officers in the financial year 2012-13; and of these unpaid awards and settlements (a) how many were fully enforced, (b) how many were enforced with payments in instalments, (c) how many have been partially enforced, (d) how many are ongoing and (e) how many were unenforceable; and of the unpaid awards and settlements which were unenforceable for 2012-13, what the reasons were for non enforcement.

Shailesh Vara: Data on the enforcement of Employment Tribunal Fast Track awards for the first half of the 2012-13 financial year (April 2012 to September 2012) was provided to you in a letter from my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Mrs Grant), the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for the courts and legal aid dated 8 May 2013. Unfortunately the exercise to collect data for the second six months of the financial year 2012-13 (October 2012 to March 2013) has taken longer than expected and is now planned to be available in December 2013. I will provide you with those data as soon as they are supplied.

European Convention on Human Rights

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 688W, on European Convention on Human Rights, which solicitors companies represented each claimant against the UK since 1998 where damages, costs or compensation were awarded in favour of the applicant.

Shailesh Vara: The information provided in a table to the answer of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 688W on the European Convention of Human Rights, was downloaded directly from information that is publicly available on the website of the European Court of Human Rights:
	http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/
	Providing information on the solicitor representing each individual in each of the judgments shown in the table could be done only at disproportionate cost by inspecting each of the judgments individually and in some cases by also inspecting the application papers where the solicitor is not listed by name in the judgment.

Judiciary

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  for what reasons the Senior President of the Tribunals will no longer prepare an annual report on the performance of decision making in his Department;
	(2)  what representations he has received on removing the duty of the Senior President of Tribunals to report on the standards of decision-making by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Shailesh Vara: The duty is to be repealed because of the high cost of producing the report and because of the development of alternative methods for providing feedback to the Department for Work and Pensions which make the report unnecessary. For example, the introduction of summary reasons for decisions in employment support allowance cases means judges explain why a decision has been overturned at appeal, and provides the Department for Work and Pensions with an effective feedback mechanism. I am not aware of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions having received representations on the removal of the duty.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made in implementing section 139 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Shailesh Vara: The Government are committed to implementing section 139 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, which reforms the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The essential prerequisite for the commencement of the reforms is to put in place a system for producing basic disclosure certificates, which show unspent convictions, which reflects the new rehabilitation periods for England and Wales. Until we do that there would be no way for an individual to obtain an official statement of their unspent convictions under the new rules.
	Currently, basic disclosures reflecting the existing rehabilitation periods are only available from Disclosure Scotland and this service is provided to residents of England and Wales as well as Scotland. However, the reforms to the 1974 Act only revise rehabilitation periods for England and Wales, leaving the position in Scotland unchanged under its legislation. This complicates matters and creates two different rehabilitation regimes within the UK, which means that there are significant business and technical issues to work through.
	The Government are considering the best option for implementing these important changes with Disclosure Scotland and the Disclosure and Barring Service and aim to have the reforms in place at the earliest possible point.

Public Consultation: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consultations concerning the make-up of the Court Service Estate in North Wales have taken place in the last three years.

Shailesh Vara: In June 2010 Ministers announced a consultation on the future provision of courts services in England and Wales. The consultation included proposals on the future of courts in North Wales: Llangefni magistrates court, Denbigh magistrates court, Pwhelli magistrates court, Flint magistrates court, Rhyl county court and Llangefni county court.
	The consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed in September 2010. The response to the consultation was published in December 2010. This set out that Llangefni magistrates court, Denbigh magistrates court, Pwhelli magistrates court, Flint magistrates court and Rhyl county court were to close under the 'Court Estate Reform Programme'. The decision was taken that Llangefni county court would remain open.

Public Consultation: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consultations concerning delivery of criminal justice in North Wales have taken place in the last three years.

Shailesh Vara: In March 2013 a consultation on the review of local justice areas in North Wales was published. This consultation was withdrawn and no proposed changes were implemented.

Public Consultation: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consultations concerning the delivery of civil justice in North Wales have taken place in the last three years.

Shailesh Vara: In January 2012 a consultation on the Modernisation of Face to Face Services in the Civil and Family Courts in Wales was published. The consultation included proposals on implementing permanent alterations to the opening times of counter services in the county courts in Wales. In North Wales this included the county courts at Caernarfon, Llangefni, Mold, Rhyl, Wrexham and Welshpool.
	The response to the consultation was published in July 2012. This set out that county court counters (as well as family proceedings counters where they are co- located within county courts) will be open to the public between 10 am and 2 pm on every day that the courthouse is open. Following this and other consultations, pilots were run, throughout England and Wales, with revised arrangement for the provision of face-to-face services. These pilots were made permanent from 1 October 2013.
	A consultation on proposed changes to public counter opening times at Llangefni county court was published in January 2013. The response to this consultation was published in April 2013 and set out that the public counter would open from 10 am to 2 pm to coincide with the district judge's sitting days and for the remainder of the week services will be delivered from Caernarfon county court. This change was implemented in June 2013.

Unpaid Fines

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has written off in unpaid fines in each year since 2010-11.

Shailesh Vara: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on fine defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding fines until certain they cannot be collected. Last year we collected £284.5 million, a record high—£5.19 million or 2% higher than the previous year, and £2.2 million or 1% more than the previous record high in 2010-11. The outstanding balance of financial penalties reduced by £17.8 million (3%) during the 2012-13 financial year.
	The amounts of financial impositions administratively cancelled and legally cancelled in each year since 2010-11 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Amount legally cancelled (£) Amount administratively cancelled (£) 
			 2010-11 62,263,874 50,713,367 
			 2011-12 63,957,203 63,135,442 
			 2012-13 62,594,601 75,868,426 
		
	
	It is not possible to identify the amounts written off for just the fine element. The amounts above therefore include all elements of financial penalties (excluding confiscation orders): fines, costs, compensation and victim surcharge. The amounts cancelled in a particular year can relate to impositions from that year or any previous year.
	Financial penalties are only administratively cancelled after all attempts to collect the amount outstanding have been made, and in accordance with strict cancellation criteria. These penalties can be written back on to the system if more information is found—for instance, a new address for the offender.
	Legal cancellations can be applied after the case has been reconsidered by a judge or magistrate. Typically, legal cancellations are used where a case has been reopened and the defendant has been found not guilty, following the presentation of additional information. Legal cancellations can be full or partial remittances of financial penalties.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has carried out a fundamental review of financial penalty accounts, actively targeting accounts to achieve compliance at the earliest point, as well as tackling old accounts, and administratively cancelling them where there is no realistic chance of collection because they do not have enough information to trace the debtors. This explains the increase in the value of administrative cancellations seen in the figures.
	This enabled HMCTS to focus resources on increasing collections on accounts which can be enforced, resulting in the record high level of collection in 2012-13.

Witnesses: Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many registered intermediaries were appointed for children in cases involving (a) sexual offences and (b) other offences in the last three years for which data are available at (i) pre-police interview, (ii) pre-trial and (iii) trial broken down by (A) age, (B) geography and (C) impairment group.

Damian Green: During the period of 1 August 2009 to 8 October 2013 there have been a total of 2,435 appointments of a registered intermediary for children (0-17 years). Of that number, 1,722 were in cases involving sexual offences and 713 were in cases involving all other types of offences.
	
		
			 Stage of criminal case (a) Sexual offences (b) All other offences 
			 Pre-police interview and pre-trial 1,403 547 
			 Trial 319 166 
			 Total 1,722 713 
		
	
	Data is not collated separately for the pre-police interview and pre-trial stages of a criminal case.
	The following tables provide a breakdown of that information by (A) age, (B) geography and (C) impairment group.
	
		
			 (A) Age (a) Sexual offences (b) All other offences 
			 0-4 years 369 119 
			 5-11 years 617 296 
			 12-17 years 736 298 
			 Total 1,722 713 
		
	
	
		
			 (B) Geography (a) Sexual offences (b) All other offences 
			 Avon and Somerset 45 14 
			 Bedfordshire 28 19 
			 Cambridgeshire 52 22 
			 Cheshire 11 10 
			 Cleveland 5 2 
			 Cumbria 29 22 
			 Derbyshire 63 26 
			 Devon and Cornwall 20 2 
			 Dorset 6 3 
			 Durham 25 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Dyfed-Powys 9 9 
			 Essex 29 10 
			 Gloucestershire 5 1 
			 Greater Manchester 53 14 
			 Gwent 2 1 
			 Hampshire 155 59 
			 Hertfordshire 10 5 
			 Humberside 64 29 
			 Isle of Man 1 0 
			 Kent 34 16 
			 Lancashire 18 8 
			 Leicestershire 30 8 
			 Lincolnshire 23 2 
			 London 254 135 
			 Merseyside 60 20 
			 Norfolk 11 18 
			 North Wales 3 2 
			 North Yorkshire 11 2 
			 Northamptonshire 11 1 
			 Northumbria 20 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 11 1 
			 Other 2 0 
			 South Wales 12 2 
			 South Yorkshire 19 4 
			 Staffordshire 31 7 
			 Suffolk 11 13 
			 Surrey 30 14 
			 Sussex 71 21 
			 Thames Valley 192 70 
			 Warwickshire 3 1 
			 West Mercia 25 11 
			 West Midlands 102 62 
			 West Yorkshire 100 30 
			 Wiltshire 26 5 
			 Total 1,722 713 
		
	
	
		
			 (C) Impairment group (a) Sexual offences (b) All other offences 
			 None stated 702 242 
			 Mental health only 23 5 
			 Learning disabilities only 889 413 
			 Physical disabilities only 20 12 
			 Mental health and learning disabilities 50 20 
			 Mental health and physical disabilities 1 0 
			 Learning disabilities and physical disabilities 37 20 
			 Mental health, learning disabilities and physical disabilities 0 1 
			 Total 1,722 713

SCOTLAND

Energy: Prices

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister of Scotland on capping energy bills in that country; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland and I have had no recent discussions with the First Minister on capping energy bills in Scotland.

High Speed 2

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport and Ministers in the Scottish Government on the extension of high-speed rail to Scotland.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers and officials are in frequent contact with colleagues in DFT on the plans for HS2 and the benefits it will bring to Scotland.
	DFT and the Scotland Office are working closely with Transport Scotland on this and Scottish Government Ministers are closely engaged in this process.

The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office did not incur any expenditure on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

TRANSPORT

Freight Transport Association

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions his Department has asked the Freight Transport Association or its staff to represent the Department at stakeholder meetings; and what steps he has taken in those cases to ensure that there is no conflict of interest.

Robert Goodwill: The Freight Transport Association (FTA) was appointed to undertake the role of the UK Short Sea Promotion Centre as part of it taking over responsibility and funding for Freight by Water in November 2010, a consortium of interests seeking to increase the amount of freight carried by ship and barge. Part of the role of the Promotion Centre is to attend meetings of the European Commission regarding short-sea and coastal shipping policy and the movement of freight by inland waterway. Officials from the Department for Transport also attended these meetings, until 2012. Since then, given that the FTA attends in any case to represent UK industry, FTA has been the sole UK representative at four meetings relating to European waterborne freight issues.

High Speed 2

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the economic effect of phase 2 of High Speed 2 on (a) West Bromwich East constituency and (b) the Black Country area will be.

Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd recently published a report they had commissioned from KPMG evaluating the potential impact of HS2 on productivity and business location. Although the report does not look at the effects on West Bromwich East and Black Country specifically, it estimates that the HS2 Y-network as a whole could generate productivity benefits of between £1.5 billion and £3.1 billion per annum for the West Midlands region.

High Speed 2

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the made of the effects on Northern Ireland of the development of the High Speed 2 rail network.

Robert Goodwill: The benefits brought about by HS2 will be felt right across the UK. Due to Northern Ireland's specific geographical offshore location to Great Britain no detailed assessment has been made of the benefits of High Speed Rail in respect of Northern Ireland specifically.

Railways: Birmingham

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the total number of passengers travelling between Birmingham and (a) Manchester, (b) Leeds and (c) Wigan by rail during an average week day.

Stephen Hammond: Though some estimates for journeys such as these have been produced for departmental purposes, these estimates are not available for publication as the underlying data belong to the train operators and are considered commercially confidential.

Railways: West Midlands

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Virgin Trains on the future of direct train services to London from (a) Sandwell and Dudley and (b) Wolverhampton railway stations; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Virgin Trains will, from the December 2013 timetable change date, combine the London Euston to Wolverhampton service with its Birmingham New Street to Scotland service. This will provide a through service from London Euston, to Birmingham New Street, Sandwell and Dudley, Wolverhampton and Scotland, providing improved direct journey opportunities from Milton Keynes, Coventry, Birmingham International and Sandwell and Dudley to stations between Crewe and Glasgow/Edinburgh. This service will continue to provide, broadly, an hourly direct London Euston to Sandwell and Dudley and Wolverhampton service throughout the week.

Severn Tunnel

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the closure of the Severn tunnel on 26-27 October 2013 for engineering works and the economic effect of this on the two events scheduled to take place in the Welsh capital that weekend.

Stephen Hammond: No formal representation has been made to the Department from the Welsh Government about the closure of the Severn tunnel on 26-27 October 2013 for engineering works.

Severn Tunnel

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Network Rail on the postponement of planned engineering works taking place on 26-27 October 2013 that will have a negative effect on (a) the Rugby League World Cup opening ceremony, (b) the World Music Expo and (c) other events in Cardiff.

Stephen Hammond: The planning and programming of essential engineering works on the national rail network is a matter for Network Rail and the train operators, subject to the oversight of the independent Office of Rail Regulation. The Department understands from Network Rail that it has worked closely with stakeholders, including train operators and the Millennium Stadium, to minimise the impact of the track renewal works in the Severn tunnel, including over the weekend of 26-27 October. These works have been planned for over two years, and postponement would result in longer term disruption for passengers using this vital link.
	When the tunnel is closed, trains between Cardiff and London Paddington will continue to operate, diverted via Gloucester, though this will extend the journey time. Routes from Birmingham and Manchester to Cardiff will remain open as usual.

Shipping: Training

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the increase in annual funding to 2015-16 announced for the Support for Maritime Training scheme will be spent on (a) officer cadet and (b) ratings training; and how many new (i) officer and (ii) ratings places will be created in each year as a result.

Stephen Hammond: I anticipate that the increase in annual funding in the Support for Maritime Training scheme will be spent on officer cadet training and will fund an additional 200-220 officer trainees.
	Following discussions with representative bodies for the maritime industries I intend to seek evidence about the value of rating training in deciding whether any proportion of the additional funding should be made available to train additional ratings.

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Recruitment, statutory public notice and public information campaign advertising is handled through specialist media buying agencies and information on the media titles used and their owners is not held centrally. A search by the central Department and its Executive agencies identified no direct payments to The Guardian newspaper, The Guardian website or The Guardian Media Group.

TREASURY

Conditions of Employment

Andy Sawford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the a) median and b) inter-quartile range of hours worked each week by employees on zero hours contracts is.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the a) median and b) inter-quartile range of hours worked each week by employees on zero hours contracts is. (169907)
	The requested information is not available. Information regarding people working on zero hours contracts is available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). However, full estimates of the total number of people in employment on such contracts are not available from this source. This is, in part, due to reporting error as respondents may fail to identify their type of employment contract correctly. This prevents reliable estimates being produced for working hours.
	From autumn 2013, one of ONS's large-scale monthly business surveys will include some questions on zero-hours contracts so as to obtain robust data directly from employers. These will be asked on a quarterly basis with the first results expected to be published in early 2014.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the take-up of the Help to Buy scheme on new and first time homebuyers in (a) the eastern region and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme is available throughout the UK. The scheme will support potential borrowers who can afford the repayments on a high LTV mortgage, but are unable to save up for the large deposits currently required in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The Government have made £12 billion of guarantees available, which is sufficient to support up to £130 billion of high loan-to-value mortgages across the UK.

Personal Income: Insurance

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK who have income protection insurance policies;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK who have private health insurance policies.

Sajid Javid: The Government do not routinely collect statistics on the proportion of people who have income protection insurance policies or private health insurance policies. However, according to 2012 statistics compiled by the Association of British Insurers, 3,164,000 people were covered by income protection insurance in the UK (including 1,891,000 people covered by a group scheme set up by their employer) and 3,222,000 health insurance policies was in force in the UK covering 5,612,000 people. There is no available regional breakdown of these statistics.

River Mersey: Dredging

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer against what criteria the application of Sefton Borough Council for a grant for dredging the River Mersey was judged.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	A grant of £35 million was made to Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, in partnership with Sefton council, as part of Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF).
	The RGF is a competitive fund and has two main objectives:
	To encourage private sector enterprise by providing support for projects with significant potential for economic growth and create additional sustainable private sector employment; and
	To support in particular those areas and communities that are currently dependent on the public sector to make the transition to sustainable private sector led growth and prosperity.
	All bids to the RGF must demonstrate their alignment against the five assessment criteria of the fund:
	Creating sustainable private sector growth;
	Rebalancing the economy;
	Additionality;
	Value for money; and
	State Aid compliance.
	All applications to RGF are considered on a competitive basis. Ministers receive advice from an Independent Advisory Panel, chaired by my noble Friend Lord Heseltine.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Executives: Females

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent discussions she had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on the number of women employed at a senior boardroom level by companies based in Scotland.

Jo Swinson: I have had no recent discussions on this issue with Ministers in the Scottish Government regarding companies specifically located in Scotland.
	The Government have put in place policies to support women to advance in the workplace and we also believe that this agenda should be business led. We have been working closely with businesses and key stakeholders throughout the UK to help drive forward Lord Davies's recommendations from his 2011 report with the aim of meeting his target of 25% women on boards by 2015 and to ensure that businesses recognise the business and economic benefits which comes with having a more diverse board.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment Schemes: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely impact of the Help to Work scheme on young unemployed people in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: No estimate of the impact of the Help to Work scheme on young unemployed people in Peterborough has been made. We tested two elements of the Help to Work scheme in pilots in 2012: the Jobcentre Plus-led Mandatory Intervention Regime, and Community Work Placements. There was a significant positive impact on benefit receipt and soft outcomes like motivation, confidence and ambition from both interventions, compared to a control group.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to how many households the benefit cap has been applied (a) in each local authority area and (b) in total.

Esther McVey: Official statistics on how many households in each local authority have had the benefit cap applied are not currently available.
	Official statistics on how many households have had the benefit cap applied nationally have been published and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2013

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households to whom the household benefit cap has been applied are lone parent families.

Esther McVey: Information on the number of households to whom the benefit cap has been applied which are lone parent families has been published and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2013

Housing Benefit: Temporary Accommodation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households to whom the household benefit cap has been applied are in local authority temporary accommodation.

Esther McVey: Information on the number of household to whom the benefit cap has been applied in local authority temporary accommodation is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) individuals, (b) pregnant women and (c) individuals with dependants have received jobseeker's allowance sanctions since October 2012.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the new jobseeker's allowance (JSA) sanctions regime, introduced in October 2012, have not yet been published as official statistics. We intend to include this information as part of an upcoming release in line with the code of practice for official Statistics. However it is not intended that these statistics will include information on how many pregnant women and individuals with dependants have received jobseeker's allowance sanctions. This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received multiple jobseeker's allowance sanctions in each local authority area since October 2012.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the new jobseeker's allowance (JSA) sanctions regime, introduced in October 2012, have not yet been published as official statistics. We intend to include this information as part of an upcoming release in line with the code of practice for official statistics.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receiving jobseeker's allowance had a sanction overturned on appeal in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) January to September 2013.

Esther McVey: The information requested, up to and including 21 October 2012, can be found in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants who had the original decision to apply a sanction overturned upon appeal by year of decision, Great Britain: 1 January 2008-21 October 2012 
			 Year of decision Total 
			 2008 1,190 
			 2009 1,010 
			 2010 2,130 
			 2011 4,000 
			 2012 2,870 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and show the number of varied, fixed length and entitlement decision referrals where the original decision was found against the claimant but subsequently overturned upon appeal. Figures will include individuals who have a sanction overturned in more than one year eg if an individual has had a sanction overturned in 2008 and also in 2012 then they will appear twice. 2. Year of decision: The year in which the decision to overturn the sanction was made. The year 2012 only includes data up to and including 21 October, which this is the latest data available. 3. Varied length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for leaving employment voluntarily without just cause, refusing employment without good cause, or losing employment through misconduct. The actual period in each case is at the discretion of the adjudication officer who makes the decision. 4. Fixed length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a jobseeker's direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the adjudication officer's decision on a sanction question. 5. Entitlement decisions: These are questions on which entitlement to JSA depends. For example, if there is doubt around whether the jobseeker's agreement (JSAg) is suitable, whether they are actively looking for work or making themselves available for work. In most cases payment of JSA will be suspended by benefit processing until the doubt is resolved. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database. 
		
	
	The information requested after 21 October 2012 is not currently available.
	Statistics on the new jobseeker's allowance (JSA) sanctions regime, introduced on 22 October 2012, have not yet been published as official statistics. We intend to include this information as part of an upcoming release in line with the code of practice for official statistics.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of jobseeker's allowance who were issued with a sanction chose not to keep their claim live in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) January to September 2013.

Esther McVey: Information on those who end their claim to jobseeker's allowance shortly after receiving a sanction is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receiving jobseeker's allowance who were subject to a sanction were classified as belonging to an ethnic minority in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) January to September 2013.

Esther McVey: The available information can be found in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants with a sanction applied by ethnic group and year of decision: 1 January 2008-21 October 2012 
			  Year of decision 
			 Ethnic group 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 White 206,240 273,460 373,280 359,450 350,830 
			 Mixed 6,380 8,400 12,530 12,540 12,050 
			 Asian or Asian British 17,220 20,860 31,040 32,300 32,410 
			 Black or Black British 22,010 26,030 37,670 38,320 37,700 
			 Chinese or Other Ethnic Group 5,380 5,920 9,180 10,060 11,290 
		
	
	
		
			 Prefer not to say 12,530 14,110 19,250 19,840 20,790 
			 Unknown 6,830 7,810 10,930 10,420 9,710 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and will includes individuals who have a sanction applied in more than one year eg if an individual has had a sanction applied in 2008 and also in 2012 then they will appear twice. 2. Sanctions applied: The number of sanctions applied is the number of Varied, fixed length and entitlement decision referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. 3. Year of decision: The year in which the decision to apply a sanction was made. 2012 is from 1 January to 21 October (the last date of the old sanctions regime) which is the latest data available. 4. Varied length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for leaving employment voluntarily without just cause, refusing employment without good cause, or losing employment through misconduct. The actual period in each case is at the discretion of the adjudication officer who makes the decision. 5. Fixed length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a jobseeker's direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the adjudication officer's decision on a sanction question. 6. Entitlement decisions: These are questions on which entitlement to JSA depends. For example, if there is doubt around whether the jobseeker's agreement (JSAg) is suitable, whether they are actively looking for work or making themselves available for work. In most cases payment of JSA will be suspended by benefit processing until the doubt is resolved 7. Ethnicity group of claimant (aggregated): Ethnic group is self-assessed and recorded on the DWP Labour Market System (LMS). Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database. 
		
	
	Information on the number of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants with a sanction applied after 21 October 2012 is not currently available. Statistics on the new JSA sanctions regime, introduced on 22 October 2012, have not yet been published as official statistics. We intend to include this information as part of an upcoming release in line with the code of practice for official statistics.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receiving jobseeker's allowance who were subject to a sanction on the advice of a Work Programme provider were classified as belonging to an ethnic minority in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) January to September 2013.

Esther McVey: The available information can be found in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants with a sanction applied for failing to participate in the Work programme by ethnic group and year of decision: 1 June 2011 to 21 October 2012 
			  Year of decision 
			 Ethnic group 2011 2012 
			 White 11,970 65,050 
			 Mixed 340 1,980 
			 Asian or Asian British 540 3,430 
			 Black or Black British 1,110 6,050 
			 Chinese or other ethnic group 180 1,100 
			 Prefer not to say 550 3,130 
			 Unknown 350 1,750 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and will include individuals who have a sanction applied in more than one year, e.g. if an individual has had a sanction applied in 2011 and also in 2012 then they will appear twice. 2. Sanctions applied: The number of sanctions applied is the number of fixed length sanction referrals for failing to participate in the Work programme where the decision was found against the claimant. 3. Year of decision: The year in which the decision to apply a sanction was made. 2011 is from 1 June (date the Work programme was introduced) to 31 December. 2012 is from 1 January to the 21 October (the last date of the old sanctions regime) which are the latest data available. 4. Fixed length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a Jobseeker's Direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the Adjudication Officer's decision on a sanction question. 5. Ethnicity Group of claimant (aggregated): Ethnic group is self-assessed and recorded on the DWP Labour Market System (LMS). Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database 
		
	
	Information on the number of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants with a sanction applied for failing to participate in the Work programme after 21 October 2012 is not currently available. Statistics on the new JSA sanctions regime, introduced on 22 October 2012, have not yet been published as official statistics. We intend to include this information as part of an upcoming release in line with the code of practice for official statistics.
	Information on how many people receiving jobseeker's allowance (JSA) who were subject to a sanction on the advice of a Work programme provider for reasons other than failing to participate are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against jobseeker's allowance sanctions have been (a) made and (b) successful since October 2012; and what the average time was from the date of an appeal to the date when a decision was made.

Esther McVey: Statistics on the new jobseeker's allowance (JSA) sanctions regime, introduced in October 2012, have not yet been published as official statistics. We intend to include this information as part of an upcoming release in line with the code of practice for official statistics. However is not intended that these statistics will include information on what the average time was from the date of an appeal to the date when a decision was made. This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in (a) the London Borough of Brent, (b) Brent Central constituency and (c) London have received jobseeker's allowance sanctions in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: The information requested can be found in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants who had a sanction applied by year of decision and area: 1 January 2008 to 31 May 2012 
			 Area Year of decision 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Local authority: Brent 2,150 2,960 4,800 4,600 1,640 
			 Parliamentary constituency: Brent Central 1,220 1,520 2,520 2,380 830 
			 London 50,680 63,490 85,990 79,130 42,580 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and will individuals who have a sanction applied in more than one year e.g. if an individual has had a sanction applied in 2008 and also in 2012 then they will appear twice. 2. Sanctions applied: The number of sanctions applied is the number of Varied, Fixed Length and Entitlement Decision referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. 3. Year of Decision: The year in which the decision to apply a sanction was made. The latest data available are up to and including 31 May 2012, which are the latest data available for these geographical areas. 4. Parliamentary Constituency: Parliamentary Constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. Boundaries are as at the reference date. More information and a map can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/maps/index.html 5. Local Authority: On 1 April 2009 structural changes to the local authorities of England took effect. Changes are reflected from April 2009 in this table. 6. London: consists of the following local authorities: City of London, Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth and City of Westminster. 7. Varied Length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for leaving employment voluntarily without just cause, refusing employment without good cause, or losing employment through misconduct. The actual period in each case is at the discretion of the Adjudication Officer who makes the decision. 8. Fixed Length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a Jobseeker's Direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the Adjudication Officer's decision on a sanction question. 9. Entitlement Decisions: These are questions on which entitlement to JSA depends. For example, if there is doubt around whether the Jobseeker's agreement (JSAg) is suitable, whether they are actively looking for work or making themselves available for work. In most cases payment of JSA will be suspended by benefit processing until the doubt is resolved. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database

Pensions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK who have private pensions.

Steve Webb: The Department does not have administrative information on the number of people with private pensions, but estimates can be obtained from the Family Resource Survey (FRS) at the following location.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206887/frs_2011_12_report.pdf
	The relevant extract is replicated as follows:
	"Private pension schemes comprise occupational schemes for private and public sector employees, and personal pensions including group personal pensions and stakeholder pensions. In 2011/12, 27 per cent (13.1 million) of adults were contributing to pensions, compared to 34 per cent (15.2 million) in 2002/03"
	The FRS does not provide information on Ribble Valley or Lancashire.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that the Single Fraud Investigation Service will share information with local authorities on (a) Council Tax Reduction scheme fraud, (b) housing fraud, (c) social services fraud, (d) education, (e) planning and (f) trading standards.

Esther McVey: The Department is keen to ensure that the Single Fraud Investigation Service (SFIS) continues to work closely with local authorities to tackle fraud and we will be introducing protocols detailing how this can happen as we move forward to its introduction. We will work closely with local government groups to agree these.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that the Single Fraud Investigation Service will work correctly from the point of its introduction.

Esther McVey: The Single Fraud Investigation Service has been piloted extensively to test a range of delivery models, processes and procedures. Initial evaluation has taken place throughout in order to support the decision making and the pilots are also demonstrating the value of a single investigation as well as helping draw out the future organisational model
	We will continue to work to ensure alignment with wider fraud strategies and with operational teams to develop a detailed plan for ensuring that the introduction of the Single Fraud Investigation Service is successful.
	Throughout the project we have worked closely with a wide range of stakeholders and will continue to do so as the service is introduced; this will ensure they have a full picture of the activities under way and we can discuss any concerns or questions which are raised.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he plans to test the Single Fraud Investigation Service before its implementation.

Esther McVey: In 2012, the Single Fraud Investigation Service began four pilots to test a variety of partnership approaches and a single set of policies and procedures to help identify the best delivery model. An additional pilot began in April 2013 to support universal credit and a further four pilots will go live shortly. We will continue to work with our partners and stakeholders throughout the process.
	The pilots continue to provide very useful feedback and valuable lessons have been learned which have informed our recommendations for the future of SFIS.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information on fraud will be available to local authorities following the implementation of the Single Fraud Investigation Service.

Esther McVey: The Department publishes estimates of fraud and error in the benefits system on a half yearly basis. Preliminary estimates for 2012-13 were published on 9 May 2013.
	The Single Fraud Investigation Service is working with local government to agree protocols on how the service will work and report in the future.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what benefit provision is made for unemployed people who are waiting for disability assessments from Atos Healthcare; and what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for Atos assessments.

Michael Penning: Claimants who have made a claim for Employment and support allowance (ESA) are paid the assessment phase rate of ESA pending completion of a work capability assessment. This is paid at the same rate as jobseeker’s allowance.
	We are committed to ensuring the work capability assessment is as fair and as accurate as possible in determining who is fit for work and who needs support because they cannot work.
	A written ministerial statement issued on 22 July outlined that in the drive to continually improve the work capability assessment process and bring down waiting times for claimants, DWP had decided to seek additional capacity to deliver work capability assessments from summer 2014. This additional capacity will be procured on a regional basis, in line with the overall contracting strategy for the Department. This commercial exercise is now under way.

Telephone Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that all members of the public calling an 0845 telephone number to contact his Department be immediately notified of their right to be called back.

Esther McVey: The Department will offer to call a claimant back, if asked, or if concerns are raised over the cost of the call. The Department also provides access to telephones for claimant use, on request and at the Department's expense, in a large number of Jobcentre Plus offices where claimants needing assistance can progress a benefit inquiry or pursue job applications.
	The Department has committed to introduce 0345 numbers alongside existing 0845 numbers to allow callers to make an informed choice. DWP expect to make an announcement on when this change will be introduced in the coming weeks when the planning process is completed.

Telephone Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to consult carers and organisations representing disabled people on the use of 0845 numbers by his Department.

Esther McVey: Where appropriate, the Department routinely consults with external stakeholders, including claimant representative groups, as part of its existing Change Implementation procedures.

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Michael Penning: The information on how much the Department spent on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in the years (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011 -12 and (iv) 2012-13 is specified in the table.
	There were also recruitment advertising costs between 2010-13 of £4,199 across the categories. There are no figures available for 2009.
	
		
			 Gross expenditure with GMG companies—DWP 
			 £ 
			 Fiscal Print Radio Digital Display 
			 2010-11 0 46,092 — 
			 2011-12 8,373 36,888 — 
			 2012-13 49,385 — — 
			 2013-14 23,207 — 15,000 
			 Notes: 1. Includes paper and magazine. Includes The Observer. Excludes classified recruitment. No regional—sold to MGN February 2010. 2. GMG Radio interests sold to Global—June 2012.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the interaction of universal credit and the income tax personal allowance.

Esther McVey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has regular meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Universal credit has been designed to dovetail with the tax system to ensure all claimants are better off as their earnings rise.